2022 WINNEBAGO EKKO Complaints

After numerous prior repairs & recalls related to the Balmar Aux. charging system installed in our Ekko model RV by Winnebago, we again returned to the factory service center for the second time this year to have the latest recall, NHTSA 23V-234 WGO Recall 174 completed. After the third day in the shop for the Balmar recall & other repairs the vehicle was returned to me. The tech advised me that 1 lithium battery from the dual set had to be replaced. After a quick visual inspection in the tech’s presence I pointed out several workmanship issues that required the coach to go back into the shop to correct before shop closing. That evening I drove the coach onto blocking to visually inspect their unseen work. I found several issues including a loose terminal connection of a high current 3/0 B+ battery cable at the newly installed alternator and an unsecured cable bundle dangling under the engine. I informed the service supervisor of my findings via email that evening & the next morning our coach was again taken into the shop for further recall corrections. That afternoon WGO insisted that I inspect the coach before they released it back to me for the third time. The coach was on the ground limiting my abilities so I accepted the vehicle with their assurance of a job done right. I next discover since the recall & one battery replacement, the batteries discharge at an uneven rate. After my emailing Lithionics it was decided to have WGO recharge each battery individually to try to balance the chemistry. That required a weekend stay & on Monday the tech completed the request. After returning the coach to me for the fourth time, I asked if he verified the batteries operation, he said he had not & we left in disbelief. Now, while discharge testing at about 1.9kw on our 2kw inverter the old batt discharge is 101A, the new is 50A, which is a serious problem. WGO tells me to go the local dealer which is no option. Looked like a good upgrade just very poor execution

Selling dealer preformed NHTSA #24V942000 Winnebago Ekko Recall # 165 in January 2022. The repair procedure held up delivery of the vehicle for months. A serious defect in their workmanship that could compromise the intended goal of correcting a potential hazard to nearby electrical components was later identified by me & reported to the dealer, and manufacturer. The dealers response was to deny that they performed the recall and reject that the area of concern, a sink drain line connection was part of the recall. I made it glaringly apparent that they were wrong in both regards & the dealer stopped responding to my request to correct. Reference WGO- Instructions To Perform Recall Campaign 165, pg 18 steps 74-77. I reported it to the manufacturer & in October 2023, after traveling 3400 miles round trip to the Winnebago factory service center, the defect was corrected. The dealer also failed to properly inspect or implement Winnebago Recall 7301, a correction of undersized battery cabling posing a serious electrical hazard. That also had to be reinspected and corrected on another visit to the manufacturer in March 2023. In reporting each of these instances to the manufacturer, the ultimate responsible party, I sensed a lack of interest from their representatives for their contracted agent's safe implementation of the necessary safety related repairs. These repair failures resulted in unnecessary inconvenience, potential safety risk to life and/or property and required us to take extraordinary measures to deliver the vehicle to the manufacturer twice within approximately 6 months for corrections. The dealer has failed to follow the manufacturer's clear & precise recall procedural protocols, approved by NHTSA and has shown a pattern of disregard for our safety. In the interest of public safety, I would hope that NHTSA would audit the offending dealer's service repair record related to Campaign #21V942000 and require an independent review for similar defects.

Our blind spot monitoring system failed after going through a rain storm in March 2023. The system no longer functions at all.

Lack of a functioning blind spot monitoring (BSM) system nearly resulted in a rollover crash at freeway speed. At night, attempting to change lanes to the right, the driver was surprised by a car passing on the right. Driver's evasive action was too extreme resulting in violently veering across the freeway several times before control was regained. The BSM system on this RV did not work upon on delivery when new. This is a widespread problem with Winnebago EKKOs. Three repair attempts by the dealer have failed to fix the system on our EKKO. The original manufacturer Winnebago has refused to supply the dealer with a complete replacement system, requiring us to make repeated service appointments. Each repair attempt halted after a new part was installed leading to the discovery of yet another failed component and more time without a functioning BSM. We have not had a functioning BSM for 14 months.

the blind spot monitoring system has never worked correctly. Originally when a vehicle appeared in the left hand (driver side) blind spot, the right hand warning light (indicating vehicle in passenger side blind spot) would illuminate - then vice versa. A vehicle in the passenger side blind spot would result in the driver side warning light illuminating. This would cause the driver to think that there was a vehicle in a blind spot on the wrong side of the vehicle. if acted on the driver could maneuver in a way that would cause rather than avoid an accident. The dealer from whom I bought the vehicle (National Indoor RV Center of Lawrenceville GA) has tried twice without success to rectify the issue. The last time the unit stopped working completely (which is better than it working in reverse) On the owners facebook group failures of the blind spot monitoring system are a common occurence, as such I believe NHTSA should be informed. For me personally no actual accident occurred although shortly after taking delivery of the vehicle I did have a near miss.

Balmar Regulator creating sparks under hood eventually blowing a fuse. Shows signs of a shorted wire somewhere in the vehicle.

The Blind Spot Warning system on my 2022 Winnebago Ekko has completely failed two times. Both failures occurred after driving in wet weather. The system components appear susceptible to shorting out when exposed to water. Anecdotal evidence via social media posts from other Ekko Owners suggest this is a very common issue on Winnebago Ekkos.

The solar panels ceased to charge the batteries. I found a 40A Fuse holder behind the solar controller in the coach, that had melted and looked like it could have caught on fire.

The contact owns a 2022 Winnebago Ekko RV built on a 2021 Ford Transit Chassis. The contact stated that the Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) system had stopped functioning. Additionally, the contact stated that upon starting the RV, the RV made abnormal whining sounds and there was a strong burning odor inside the cabin of the RV. The contact stated that she determined that the secondary alternator had failed after investigating the issue online. The contact stated that she opened the hood and disconnected the secondary alternator by disconnecting all the alternator pins from the regulator. The contact stated that the A/C foam insulation close to the alternator had melted and was burned. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V234000 (Electrical System), that the contact related to the failure; however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and scheduled an appointment with the dealer for November. The dealer was notified of the failure. The RV was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.

The contact owns a 2022 Ekko Winnebago RV built on a 2021 Ford Transit Chassis. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V234000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.